Chichen Itza

Production cost

Culture

Technology

Effect

"The katun is established at Chichen Itza. The settlement of the Itza shall take place there. The quetzal shall come, the green bird shall come. Ah Kantenal shall come. It is the word of God. The Itza shall come."

Contents

The bonus of Chichen Itza combines an important main bonus (the extension of Golden Ages) and good stat bonuses. Computer players are prone to rushing it. If you want to be able to construct it, you should rush Civil Service, which is not easy - it requires three Classical Era technologies which themselves aren't easy to rush. Keep in mind that if you finish this wonder on the same turn that a Golden Age starts, it will not extend that Golden Age.

This Wonder is especially recommended for civilizations whose special abilities depend on Golden Ages, such as the Persians and Brazilians. It's also important to note that Happiness often stagnates during the Medieval and Renaissance Eras, and this wonder (as well as Notre Dame) is effective in increasing it.

Chichen Itza is an extraordinary city of stone built in the Yucatán, Mexico. Some of the oldest buildings and pyramids date back to 1500 years ago and are of Toltec and Mayan origin.

Chichen Itza consists of buildings, temples and courtyards of stone. A large "pok tap ok" or ceremonial ball court stands off to one side. (Ceremonial ball is that most interesting of games in which two sides sought to pass the ball through hoops at each end of the court. The captain of the winning team was then beheaded as a sacrifice to the gods.) Though the city is much ravaged by time (and looters), there still remain many beautiful stone carvings and statues.

At the center of the city stands the mighty stepped pyramid of Kukulcan, also known as "El Castillo." Constructed around the 13th century, El Castillo is approximately 17 meters square (180 feet square) at the base and 24 m (78 feet) in height. As was the Mayan practice, Kukulcan was constructed atop an older and smaller pyramid.

Chichen Itza was a thriving city until the 13th century, when revolt and civil war broke out among the Mayans, at which point the city went into a steep decline from which it never recovered. The center of the city was largely abandoned and in ruins by the time of the Spanish Conquest of the Yucatán in the 16th century.